A brief conversation with a follow redhedder, followed by a longer one with my brother led me to ponder the issue of how many people really LOVE what they do for a living...?

I have always felt if you are going to spend the majority of your waking hours somewhere you should attempt to make it a place you, at the very least, don't mind being. After working in the marketing field for a decade (analysis, sales, creative), I truly thought that was all I could do. There were days I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere, but more often than not the eccentricities and quirkiness were more of an irritant to me than anything. I am structured, I enjoy finites, end results, concrete plans. Originally when I got into marketing it was on the research and analysis side of the business.

So I went back to school, got my bachelor's in business, and am currently a securities analyst for a very successful firm. I know what my day holds, with the exception of exactly what the stock market will do that day. But no matter what, at 3 pm my time the market closes. I LOVE MY CAREER. It is part of who I am, and it makes me happy.

Conversely, my younger brother detests his job. He works in a warehouse and has been there for 15 years. The pay is good, but the work is laborious and uninteresting. My brother is married and has four children, and for him the job is simply a means to put food on the table. Interestingly enough, he took the ASVAB right out of high school and scored extremely high. The Air Force offered him a ridiculous bonus to enter the military, but he declined as he didn't want to leave his girlfriend, who is now my sister-in-law. Obviously if his choices had been different, he would probably have a career that was incredibly mentally stimulating. However, he would not have the family he has now. Suffice to say, with the choices he did make, he HATES his job, but love his life.

Now I ponder to myself, and to anyone else who cares – how many of us LOVE our jobs?  How many simply do the “daily grind” desperately waiting for the end of the work day whistle to blow?

Tags: Work Job Dreams

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